The Acting Head of the United Nations Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL), Stephanie Koury, called on Tuesday for the immediate and unconditional release of all those arbitrarily detained in Libya, calling for transparent and independent investigations into such cases.
Koury said in a statement on the occasion of International Human Rights Day: "Human rights must remain central to the political process and democratic transition in Libya." She considered expanding civic space and freedom of expression, association and assembly to be essential to the political process, including holding credible elections, and also urged that political opponents, journalists, activists, human rights defenders, academics, women and marginalized groups be given space to engage in free and open dialogue without fear of reprisal.
She renewed her commitment to working with all parties to advance human rights and the rule of law for the Libyan people, stressing the mission's engagement with the Libyan authorities, civil society and the international community to promote judicial reform, protect civil liberties and align national laws with international standards.
She added that while progress had been made, there was still more work to be done. Koury also said that through her recent meetings, she sought to launch a new initiative to revive the stalled political process in Libya, in light of the inability of the political parties to agree on the necessary steps to move forward in the political process.
